Hutchinson County

Hutchinson County, Texas

Hutchinson County, Texas

View of the Hutchison County Courthouse in Stinnett, Texas, the county seat. Photograph by Christian M. Mericle.
Hutchinson County, Texas

Hutchinson County, Texas

Map of Hutchinson County, Texas. Map Credit: Robert Plocheck.

Hutchinson County, in the north central section of the Panhandle, is bounded on the north by Hansford County, on the east by Roberts County, on the south by Carson County, and on the West by Moore County. The county center is at approximately 35°50' north latitude and 101°20' west longitude. The county was named for pioneer jurist Anderson Hutchinson. It comprises 871 square miles of plains and broken terrain; altitudes range from 2,750 to 3,400 feet above sea level. Hutchinson County receives an average annual rainfall of 19.9 inches. The average minimum temperature is 22° F in January, and the average maximum is 93° in July; the growing season averages 187 days. The Canadian River, fed by several small creeks, angles across the county from southwest to northeast; in the southwest it is dammed to form Lake Meredith. Broken land along the river and its tributaries forms fertile valleys. The northern part of the county is high rolling plain. About $15 million average annual income in the county is derived from wheat, corn, alfalfa, and grain sorghums. Beef cattle, hogs, and poultry are also raised there, and irrigated land amounts to more than 40,000 acres. Since the 1920s, however, petroleum has been the chief industry; the southern part of Hutchinson County is the center of oil, gas, petrochemical, and synthetic-rubber production in the Panhandle. In the county is one of the world's largest pump stations for natural gas, which supplies metropolitan areas west to Denver and east to Indianapolis. State highways 236, 152, and 207 merge at Borger, and several farm and ranch roads provide access to outlying communities.

Artifacts of the Antelope Creek Indian culture abound along the Canadian valley in Hutchinson County. Nomadic Plains Apaches also camped in this area and were followed in turn by the warlike Comanches, Kiowas, and Southern Cheyennes. In 1541 an expedition led by Francisco Vázquez de Coronado traversed the area on its quest for Quivira. Juan de Oñate passed through in 1601 and Pedro Vial in 1792. Buffalo hunters and Comancheros from New Mexico hunted and traded in the vicinity until the 1870s. The first Anglo-American expedition to come through the county was led by Stephen H. Long, who mistook the Canadian River for the Red River, in August 1820. Josiah Gregg brought his Santa Fe caravan through in March 1840. About three years later the firm of Bent, St. Vrain and Company sought to tap the Comanche-Kiowa trade by opening a trading post in the Canadian valley on what was subsequently known as Bent's Creek, now in eastern Hutchinson County. At this trading house in September 1845 Lt. James W. Abert and his surveying party left the Canadian to travel southeast toward the North Fork of the Red River. The post, known as Fort Adobe, remained in operation until about 1848, when increased friction with the Indians forced its abandonment. Subsequently its ruins gave the site the name Adobe Walls. The expeditions of Randolph B. Marcy (1849) and Amiel W. Whipple (1853) traveled by Adobe Walls during their surveys of the Canadian valley. In the first battle of Adobe Walls on November 25, 1864, Col. Christopher (Kit) Carson and his detachment of United States Cavalry troops fought their way out of a potential massacre at the hands of some 3,000 hostile Comanches and Kiowas.

Continue Reading

H. Allen Anderson | © TSHA

Handbook of Texas Logo

Adapted from the official Handbook of Texas, a state encyclopedia developed by Texas State Historical Association (TSHA). It is an authoritative source of trusted historical records.

Currently Exists

Yes

Place type

Hutchinson County is classified as a County

Altitude Range

2600 ft – 3380 ft

Size

Land area does not include water surface area, whereas total area does

  • Land Area: 887.4 mi²
  • Total Area: 895.0 mi²

Temperature

January mean minimum: 25.2°F
July mean maximum: 93.8°F

Rainfall, 2019

21.7 inches

Population Count, 2019

20,938

Civilian Labor Count, 2019

8,277

Unemployment, 2019

8.5%

Property Values, 2019

$3,165,664,150 USD

Per-Capita Income, 2019

$41,550 USD

Retail Sales, 2019

$228,301,408 USD

Wages, 2019

$131,072 USD

Hutchinson County

Highlighted:
  • Hutchinson County
Loading...
Place Type Population (Year/Source) Currently Exists
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 12,419 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 1,851 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Lake Yes
Town 173 (2021) Yes
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town
Town 20 (2009) Yes
Town
Town 134 (2021) Yes
Town
Town 20 (2014) Yes
Town 1,638 (2021) Yes
Town 50 (2014) Yes
Town
Town

Proud to call Texas home?

Put your name on the town, county, or lake of your choice.


Search Places »